What I Read in May 2025

In May I took two vacations and enjoyed a nice long weekend for Memorial Day. So you know what that means – I did a lot of reading! I read a good mix of romance, contemporary fiction, literary fiction, historical fiction, mysteries, and non-fiction. Hopefully there’s something here for every kind of reader! One of the books I read, Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is even currently in the running for my top ten books of the year.

Fiction

Contemporary Fiction

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books is about Lula, a bitter and lonely woman living in a small southern town, her archival (since high school!) Beverly, and their fight over whether to ban “controversial” books.

Lula wants to ban tons of books, books she hasn’t even read, while Beverly, a school board member, does not. The books in question are removed from the library by popular demand. Then Beverly stores them in her basement, and Lula starts a little free library in her front yard filled with books she approves of.

But Beverly’s daughter secretly replaces Lula’s books with the banned books, swapping out the original covers for Lula’s so no one is the wiser. Until residents of the town start to accidentally read the banned books, and everything gets shaken up.

I loved this book. I think it was a heartwarming take on an important subject. The author did a great job weaving together the stories of all the different townspeople who interact with the little library, although at times it was a little hard to keep all the characters straight.

I’d recommend this book to all book lovers who hate book bans. And I think it’d also be a great gift for those who might need some convincing or eye opening on the subject.

Food Person by Adam Roberts

Food Person, a debut novel from Adam Robert, follows Isabella, a food writer and aspiring cookbook author, who gets hired to ghostwrite a cookbook for former celebrity wild child star Molly. It’s clear in reading it that he himself is a food person.

Aside from all the incredibly specific and niche foodie references, my favorite part of the book was the subplot involving Isabella’s mother. I thought it was an interesting and sensitive subject and relationship that was handled well. The rollercoaster of a relationship between Isabella and Molly also kept me on my toes, never knowing where it was going next.

The pacing and character development feel a little uneven and repetitive at times, and the romantic subplot seems like it was just tossed in without being fully earned. Still, this was overall an impressive showing from a debut author. I think readers who are foodies or like celebrity/normal person stories will love it. This book serves as the perfect summer read for foodie readers and fans of Ruth Reichl and Anthony Bourdain.

Note: Thank you to Knopf for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.

Mansion Beach by Meg Mitchell Moore

Meg Mitchell Moore’s latest summer read, Mansion Beach, is a modern day retelling of The Great Gatsby.

Nicola (aka Nick) is staying in her cousin David’s cottage on Block Island when she meets Juliana (Jay), an entrepreneur with a penchant for throwing loud, flashy parties. When Nicola meets Juliana, she learns that she already knows David (Daisy), who is also on the island for the summer with his wife Taylor (Tom). We know the summer ends with a dead body, but we’ll have to keep reading to find out who is dead and what happened to them.

The story plays out as a slow moving character driven suspense story. It felt long, and not as compelling as some of Moore’s past work. I think fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Emma Rosenblum’s Bad Summer People, or anyone intrigued by the idea of a modern summer beach read retelling of The Great Gatsby will find it worth a read.

Note: Thank you to William Morrow for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.

Far and Away by Amy Poeppel

Far and Away follows Lucy, a wife, mother, and designer who leaves her home in Dallas when her son Jack gets expelled from school under confusing circumstances and a cloud of shame. It simultaneously follows Greta, a wife, mother, and art consultant who is forced to leave her home in Berlin when her husband Otto unexpectedly accepts a visiting research position in Dallas.

The two women decide to swap homes, so off Lucy and her three children go to Berlin. Meanwhile Greta and Otto move into Lucy’s super modern voice-controlled home in Dallas. The events of the story end up taking place all over the world, from Albuquerque/Mars (you’ll understand when you read it!) to Copenhagen, Dallas to Berlin, with a pit stop in NYC thrown in for good measure. It’s a story of found family as well as a little bit of an art mystery.

As a massive Amy Poeppel fan, this was one of my most anticipated reads of the summer and it absolutely did not disappoint. It’s full of zany adventures, charming and human characters, and lots of heart to keep it all grounded. I highly recommend this book to all fans of humorous contemporary fiction!

Note: Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.

Romance

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Great Big Beautiful Life is officially my favorite Emily Henry book to date. It’s a pretty sizable departure from her last five romances. This book feels like a spicier version of a Taylor Jenkins Reid book. The comparisons to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo are spot on.

Two writers, Alice and Hayden, show up in a little town in Georgia (picture a cross between Jekyll Island and St. Simons) to interview Margaret. She’s a mysterious octogenarian recluse and heiress who hasn’t been seen in decades and who has never told her life’s story before. Margaret gives both Alice and Hayden the chance to interview her over the course of a month, after which she’ll choose one of them to write a book about her life.

Margaret and her family are fascinating (a take on the Hearst family) but the real magic of the story is the love that blooms between Alice and Hayden. There are a bunch of moving pieces to this story but the author does a great job of balancing it all. And maybe as a Georgia girl I’m biased, but I think this book has the best sense of place of any of her books.

It feels like Emily Henry took her writing to the next league with this book, and I’m so excited to see where she goes next!

Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

Say You’ll Remember Me is about a couple in a long distance relationship because one of them (Samantha) is caring for a parent with dementia in Los Angeles and the other (Xavier) is running a small business in Minneapolis. It is among the saddest romances I’ve ever read. But it works and still makes for an enjoyable read, largely because both Samantha and Xavier were great characters and like people you might know in real life. Every kiss and tug at the heart strings felt earned.

The plot all made sense to me. The characters were in love from the minute they met but they faced some very real obstacles – not book obstacles (ie characters refusing to have necessary conversations) or tropes. And the characters’ love was very sweet. Because of the serious nature of much of the plot, it wasn’t a super relaxing read. Even though the last three books I’ve read by Abby Jimenez (the Part of Your World trilogy) had similar true-to-life vibes, this one felt the most sad. I’m not sure it’s one I’d choose to re-read due to the ratio of sad to swooney. But, I’d definitely still recommend this for fans of Jimenez’s other work!

Square Waves by Alexandra Romanoff

I was excited to read Square Waves after really loving the first 831 Stories book by Alexandra Romanoff, Big Fan. Square Waves follows the story of Cassidy, the woman who had an affair with the woman, Maya, who is at the center of Big Fan. Cassidy is a self-described Gen Z Monica Lewinsky dealing with burnout after years of living in the spotlight. She returns to her hometown of Berkeley, CA to rest and recharge. But on her first night home she runs into her high school nemesis Leon. And they fall straight into bed together.

And when I say they fall straight into bed I mean it. They are having some incredibly graphic (and, from a plot standpoint, not yet earned) sex at only 10-15% of the way through the book. After that things slow down for a little while. But it was such a jarring way to start the book. That said, I thought the exploration of the sentiment “people like boys who fail way better than girls who succeed” was good, albeit a little half baked and hard to fully explore in such a short book.

This story may be a hit for readers who are looking for a quick fix of spicy fun. I will continue to cross my fingers that 831 Stories can get back to the level that they achieved with their first publication, Big Fan!

Note: Thank you to 831 Stories for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

The Love Haters is about a filmmaker who is sent to Key West to film a recruitment video for the Coast Guard. While Katie’s there she falls in love with Hutch, the subject of her video. And there’s a giant dog, a charming elderly ‘aunt’ (Rue was my favorite character in the book), and many shenanigans.

So like I said, I love Katherine Center. But man, this book did not work for me. First of all, the first 15-20% of the book was about Katie’s body image issues and eating disorder. Handled the right way, this topic could be healing, but the author presents it in a triggering way. And the plot feels a little too convoluted and trope-y. As one other reviewer said, Katherine Center seems to have Katherine Center’d to close to the sun. Usually I love her quirky characters and the adventures they go on and funny situations they find themselves in. This story was just not believable. The characters didn’t feel true to life.

Readers who care less about realistic romances and those who aren’t triggered by a lot of body image talk might enjoy this book more than I did. I remain a Katherine Center fan, though, and look forward to a redemption arc in the form of her next book.

Note: Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.

MYSTERY/THRILLER/SUSPENSE

Everyone Is Lying to You by Jo Piazza

Love mysteries and can’t stop yourself from obsessing over Instagram content from tradwives like Ballerina Farms and Nara Smith? Well then have I got the book for you!

Lizzie is a wife, mother of two, and writer for a struggling women’s magazine. Bex is a tradwife influencer. She has five kids, a hunky cowboy husband, a picture perfect life on a ranch, and millions of followers. Bet and Lizzie were college best friends until they had a falling out, and now Lizzie just watches Bex’s life from afar via social media.

Until one day, out of the blue, Bex reaches out to Lizzie and invites her to come and visit and write a story about her. And off Lizzie goes. But Bex’s husband is killed the night Lizzie arrives. Bex is the prime suspect, and Lizzie seems to be the only one who can figure out what is going on.

I devoured Everyone Is Lying to You and loved the glimpse it provides into the behind-the-scenes of influencers. The plot was unpredictable and kept me on my toes until the very last paragraph!

Note: Thank you to Dutton for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

Olivia used to have a thriving career until she mouthed off publicly about a fellow ghostwriter and her career tanked. She hasn’t talked to her father since she graduated high school. Suddenly she has no choice but to return to her hometown to see him because he’s dying. He needs her help in finishing his last book, and is willing to pay her. The catch? The book he intends to write is the true story of how his two siblings died many years ago. And he’s always been a suspect in their murder. Olivia has to grapple with the reality of her father’s secrets and her relationship with him, all while on a book deadline.

I liked the multiple POVs in this story, jumping back and forth between Olivia’s modern day perspective and the perspective of her father and her aunt during their childhood. The plot was like nothing I’ve read before and I never saw any of the plot twists coming. If you like your mysteries extra twisty, this one is for you. It may have even been a little too twisty for me at times, because I found the ending pretty confusing. But that may have been intentional on the part of the writer, partly as a reflection on the unreliability of the storytelling of some of the characters.

Anyway, I’d definitely recommend The Ghostwriter for fans of more literary and slow burn family mysteries!

Note: Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.

Vantage Point by Sara Sligar

Vantage Point centers around the wealthy and cursed Wieland family. The family consists of Teddy, his wife Jess, and Teddy’s sister/Jess’s childhood best friend Clara. Teddy is running for U.S. Senate in Maine when a compromising video of Clara leaks, jeopardizing Teddy’s shot at winning. Clara doesn’t remember the encounter caught on camera, but as a recovering addict, she suspects it may have been filmed when she was drunk or high. Then more videos surface, videos that are for sure fake, and Clara has to figure out who is out to get her family.

This book was interesting and the twist at the ending, the explanation behind the videos, felt fresh. It wasn’t a memorable read for me. It may be a hit for readers who are bigger fans of literary mysteries than I am!

We Would Never by Tova Mirvis

We Would Never is about Hailey, a woman who retreats with her young daughter from her home in NY to her parents’ home in Florida for a vacation when she and her husband separate. Her parents have never liked her husband so they, and her brother, encourage her to permanently move with her daughter to Florida permanently. But her husband pushes back and soon she finds herself in a tense custody battle, wondering what lengths her family will go to to help her win.

This is a literary mystery that’s more of a character study. I wouldn’t recommend it to readers who who don’t like slow paced stories with semi-ambiguous endings! (Or maybe the ending was clear cut and I just didn’t get it? Could be!)

Historical Fiction

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club should be the first summer reading pick for fans of historical fiction. The book is told from multiple points of view and is partially based on true stories.

In 2016, Mari’s mother has just died and in attempt to feel closer to her she heads to Martha’s Vineyard. There she meets with a woman, Elizabeth Devereaux, whose information was in her mother’s notes.

When Mari meets Elizabeth, Elizabeth says she has a story to tell her. It’s the story of two sisters, Briar and Cadence, living on Martha’s Vineyard in 1942 amidst the chaos of WWII. Briar and Cadence live on a farm with their grandmother and their brother Tom’s girlfriend. Meanwhile, Tom is off fighting in Europe as an Army Ranger. But Tom isn’t the only one experiencing the action of WWII. The island is surrounded by German U-boats and the U.S. Army is using the island to train and practice maneuvers. With so much happening on this small island, intrigue and shenanigans ensue.

As the story plays out, Mari begins to develop her own relationships on the island. Eventually she pieces together an understanding of why Elizabeth Devereaux is telling this story.

The pacing of some of the storylines felt a little bit haphazard and off. For example, a lot of time was devoted to the plot featuring the FBI agent, and then that plot point was resolved randomly and quickly. And the endings (both in 1942 and 2016), felt rushed to me.

But this story is fun and felt different to me than any historical fiction I’ve read before. I think readers who enjoy both Elin Hilderbrand and historical fiction will like reading this book this summer!

Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.

Literary Fiction

The Compound by Aisling Rawle

Put Love Island, The Hunger Games, and Lord of the Flies in a blender and you’ll get The Compound.

The Compound has the feeling of a story that starts in the middle of itself and it took me a while to get into it and to figure out what was going on.The story follows an aimless young woman named Lily who signs up for a reality tv show like Love Island. Contestants couple up and complete tasks in a mansion in the desert to win prizes.

The description sounded dystopian but in a fun beach read-y kind of way. But it’s much closer to literary fiction, more of a character study than a plot driven book. It was an interesting read, though, and I’m sure it’ll be a hit with readers who like trashy TV but also find themselves really questioning the performative and consumerist nature of it all.

Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown

Wow. What Kind of Paradise is so interesting and different that I hardly know how to describe it without giving too much away.

Jane is a 17-year-old living off the grid with her father in rural Montana. Her father tells her that her mother died in a car crash when she was four. Her father homeschools her, isolates her, and has taught her that technology is the root of all evil and will eventually be the downfall of society. She largely loves and believes her father until something happens one day that forces her to leave her home and her father behind and move to San Francisco – the place that, in many ways, is the root of all the technological evil she’s heard so much about.

And events transpire! I won’t say any more. But this book, in tone, feels like literary fiction but is full of twist and turns that’ll have you reading until you finish the whole book in one sitting.

This is a timely read as we as a society grapple with the growing impact of AI in the world. It’s not a light read, but it’s very readable. Also at times a fun 90s throw back. I definitely recommend this book to readers interested in these themes!

Note: Thank you to Random House for providing me with an Advanced Reading Copy.

Non-Fiction

MISCELLANEOUS Non-Fiction

Disney War by James B. Stewart

The title and cover of this book may be a turnoff for nonfiction readers who are not Disney adults. But their loss, because this book is insane in the best way possible and reads like modern day Shakespeare.

Disney War covers the 20 years that Michael Eisner spent as Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. It tells the story, which is the embodiment of “truth is stranger than fiction”, relying largely on the vast amounts of his personal correspondence and notes that became public through the years thanks to numerous law suits he was party to. The things this man put in writing! Like a vicious preteen girl who has just discovered journaling. He is clearly a sociopath (albeit a talented one) and yet so entertaining to read about.

This book is really hard to review and to sum up, but I think the fact that I’ve read it two times in less than three years should tell you something. I would call it a must read for fans of Succession.

Memoir

Accidentally On Purpose by Kristen Kish

I’m a fan of Kristen Kish, of Top Chef, and of foodie books. And yet somehow this book didn’t work for me!

If I had read the summary more closely I would have realized that her memoir Accidentally on Purpose is less focused on food and her time on Top Chef than it is on her personal journey as an adoptee and LGBTQ+ chef. Which I love for her. And I know many other readers will love. It just didn’t really align with my interests.

Also, I love an audiobook memoir narrated by the author but it was distracting when Kish cried at times as she narrated. It just took me out of things a little bit. Lastly, Boston chef Barbara Lynch has been under a lot of scrutiny under the last few years. There have been numerous claims she withheld tips from some employees and abused and harassed others. I appreciate that Lynch is Kish’s mentor and so she is a major part of her story. But it felt odd to spend so much time talking about the impact she had on Kish’s life without discussing the allegations against her.

That said, Kristen Kish super fans and LGBTQ+ millennials will likely still appreciate this book.

political

Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson

In Original Sin, CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson examine the decline of Joe Biden’s health over the last eight years. They also explore attempts to cover that up in the run up to the 2024 election.

For a lot of reasons, I had a hard time reading this book. The topic is very personal for me so it’s hard to provide an objective review. Any reporting this one-sided should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, I think this is an important read … if you can stomach it.

I take major issue with the way the CNN has promoted this over the last many months. It has felt less like serious news and more like salacious gossip mongering. And the amount of time dedicated to covering this story doesn’t feel proportionate to the way they cover the current President.

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This is just the start of summer vacation reading season and I couldn’t be more excited. Which of these books are you going to add to your summer reading list?

PS: I’ll share my full list of summer reading recommendations soon. In the meantime you can check out my 2021 summer reading list and 2020 list of my favorite beach reads.